Best Settings for Importing CD Audiobooks Into iTunes

We’re huge fans of importing CD audiobooks into iTunes. From there, we either listen to them on an iPod/iPhone or burn CDs for listening in the car. Today, I thought I’d share my preferred settings for importing audiobook CDs to iTunes.

Importing audiobooks into iTunes

Here’s a quick overview of how to configure the import preferences for optimal results:

Open the iTunes preferences

Under the “General” tab, click the “Import Settings…” button

Select “Import Using: AAC Encoder“

Select “Setting: Custom“

Select “Stereo Bit Rate: 64 kbps“

Select “Sample Rate: 44.100 kHz“

Select “Sample Rate: 44.100 kHz“

Select “Channels: Stereo“

Click the checkbox for “Optimize for voice“

While you could probably get away with a lower bit rate, I’ve found the quality at this level to be great, and

Convert your files to .m4b

Once you’ve imported your audiobook, you need to convert your AAC files from .m4a to .m4b format. This has two effects: it makes iTunes treat them as audiobooks, and it makes them “bookmarkable,” such that they resume playing from wherever you last stopped them.

While the idea of changing the file format might sound daunting, there’s actually a simple AppleScript that will do the job for you. Simply download the “Make Bookmarkable” script and you’re good to go.